Toy chair or sofa



(No Model.)

J. J. JONES. TOY 01mm 0R SOFA.

No. 544,305. Patented Aug. 13, 1895.

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JOSEPH J. JONES, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

TOY CHAIR OR SOFA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 544,305, dated August13, 1895.

Application filed February 1. 1895. Serial No. 536,958. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH J. JONES, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kingsand State of New York, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Toy Chairs or Sofas, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in toy chairs and sofas, whichare made to resemble ordinary upholstered articles of furniture; and theinvention consists of a toy chair or similar article having the seat,back, or other part thereof provided with an imitation of a cushion,such as is herein described and claimed.

On the accompanying sheet of drawings, Figure l is a perspective view'of a toy chair embodying the invention; Fig. 2, a view of a sheet ofthe composite material from which the blanks for the imitation cushionare cut, and Fig. 3 a cross-section of an imitation cushion producedfrom one of the blanks.

' Similar reference-numbers designate like parts in the different Views.

The object of this invention is to facilitate and cheapen themanufacture of toys of the kind above mentioned, especially small toyshaving frames made from pewter. These toys are commonly sold in sets,each set consisting of a sofa, a rocking-chair, and two common chairssimilar to that shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, and while the imitationcushion herein described is applicable to each of these severalarticles, it is not necessary to illustrate more than one of them, inorder to render the description of the invention clear and complete.Cushions adapted to form the seats of such chairs and sofas are nowcommonly made by folding a piece of velvet or other textile materialover a piece of pasteboard and gluing the edges of the cloth designed toform the top of-the cushion to the back of the pasteboard and nearlyaround it, then stuffing sawdust between the cloth and pasteboard, andfinally gluing the cloth to the pasteboard where it was previously leftunfastened, thus closing the opening through which the sawdust waspassed. A large part of the labor required to make the toy in the mannercommonly practiced is therefore expended in making the cushion or seat.

By this invention a workman is enabled to produce several chair or sofaseats in the time needed for making a single cushion in the Way abovedescribed.

The frame of the chair represented in Fig. 1 of the drawings issubstantially. the same as the pewter frame of other toy chairs. Theseat of this chair is inserted in the frame from the under side, and issecured therein by bending under it projections formed on the frame.Seats for a dozen, or even a larger number of chairs, may beconveniently made together. First, on a sheet 1, of pasteboard, heavypaper, pulp, or similar material as a foundation,

is pasted a sheet 2, of cloth-for example, velvetas represented in Fig.2, the paste being applied evenly to the surface 20 of the sheet 1 bymeans of a brush, and the cloth being pressed smooth, so as to cause itto adhere closely to the sheet 1 in all places. From the composite sheet3 thus prepared blanks at (indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2) are thencut. Next, these blanks, while yet damp from the moisture imparted tothem by the paste, are pressed in suitable dies under heat sufficient todry them quickly, and thus converted into the form shown at 5, Fig. 3.They are allowed to remain in the press a few moments or until they arethoroughly dry. By this means they are permanently set in the formdesired. The number that may be pressed at one time is limited only bythe size of the press. A press is now in use in which twelve such blanksare pressed at each operation. An ordinary screw-press worked by handaffords all the power that is needed. The part 5, formed as described,and consisting of the convexo-concave foundation or form and clothcovering 51, becomes the top of the seat. To this top is then glued aflat piece 6 of material, like that, for example, composing sheet 1, theedges of which piece project slightly beyond the sides of the top, asshown at 60, Fig. 3. The seat is then ready to be secured in the frameof the chair.

In Fig. 1, 7 designates the seat and 8 the chair-frame. The top of theseat, when it is inserted in the frame, projects above the sides of'theframe surrounding it and presents the appearance of a cushion or anupholstered seat, while the bottom6 of the seat rests next to the edge60, against the under side of the frame, and is held in place by theprojections 80 on the frame bent under it on opposite sides.

From the foregoing description it will be understood that a seat for arocking-chair or sofa, or a back for a toy chair or sofa of the kinddesignated, may be made in the manner above explained. It has been foundin practice that such toys can thus be produced with much less laborthan formerly and with a corresponding reduction in cost.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

A toy chair 0r.sofa provided with an imitation cushion having the top orfront portion 5 thereof made of layers of pasteboard or similar materialand cloth pasted together in a fiat blank and converted intoconvexo-concave form, and having a bottom or back 6 glued to the edge ofthe portion 5 and extending beyond it, whereby a flange 60 is formed,the portion 5 of the cushion being surrounded by and projecting throughthe chair or sofa frame and the flange 6O resting against the under sideor back of the frame, substantially as de scribed.

JOSEPH J. JONES. In presence of- F. B. PACKARD, S. G. METCALF.

